From XDCAM EX to DVD SD is this Compressor Time too slow ...

XDCAM EX 18 minutes sequence take only (if my memory is accurate) 2H15 Minutes to encode for Blu-Ray.

The same sequence send to compressor ( Export using Compressor ) for a DVD SD using a preset of 90 Minutes 6.5 Mbs two pass best quality said 10 Hours.

Any help or link is more than welcome to get the best from that exellent camcorder with the use of Final Cut Studio 2.

Mac Pro Dual 2.66 Ghz (2006) with 4 GB Ram.

PRODUCTION D. GOYETTE
TOURNAGE / MONTAGE VIDÉO CORPORATIF
DISTRIBUTION DVD / BLU-RAY / WEB
[www.productiondgoyette.com]

It certainly sounds wrong.

The only thing I can say is that you're going from one Long GOP format (XDCam EX) to another (MPEG-2) which greatly increases time and tends to lower quality. You might try exporting to an intraframe codec (like ProRes) and then converting to MPEG-2.

Andy

Those numbers don't actually sound wrong at all to me. The problem is those three magic, malevolent words: "Export using Compressor."

Don't do this.

The specific reasons why involve a lot of detail, and I know I have a tendency to be long-winded, so I'll try not to go too far down the rathole. The short version is that Final Cut's "export using Compressor" feature is massively inefficient, and arguably should be removed from the software altogether.

Final Cut's "export using Compressor" feature dates back to before the Qmaster service existed, back when Compressor was a fairly simple application. But now that Compressor is just a graphical front-end to Qmaster, and Qmaster is the front-end to the compressord processing daemons, the "export using Compressor" feature has become just incredibly, astonishingly inefficient. What was once a convenience for exporting a timeline straight to an encoding pipeline is now a feature that should be avoided in all circumstances.

Now, your edit system is not very powerful, and by dealing with two different forms of MPEG-2 at once you're asking it to do a lot. It's difficult to make a specific prediction because I don't know exactly how your system is configured, but you'll probably get better results by rendering and exporting to ProRes first, then passing that ProRes Quicktime master off to a properly configured Compressor cluster for MPEG-2 encoding.

Setting up an efficient long-GOP-to-I-frame-to-long-GOP pipeline is not trivial, but people choose to go through the effort because it reduces processing times by half or more.

As slightly OT, but still dealing with XDCAM and DVD.
I found that yes you should convert the XDCAM to ProRes on output,
but even better I've been told is to bring your XDCAM into a ProRes
timeline BEFORE you start to edit.

I made the rookie mistake of bringing in XDCAM into FCP via the Sony
XFER software into a XDCAM codec timeline; and then having to
export QT as ProRes.

What I learned is to always take the XDCAM footage into a ProRes
timeline RIGHT AWAY; which seems to be a vastly superoir codec to edit in IMHO.

jtywltk


Mark Pigott
3ds Max, FCP, Motion "editor"





Jeff Harrell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those numbers don't actually sound wrong at all to
> me. The problem is those three magic, malevolent
> words: "Export using Compressor."
>
> Don't do this.
>
> The specific reasons why involve a lot of detail,
> and I know I have a tendency to be long-winded, so
> I'll try not to go too far down the rathole. The
> short version is that Final Cut's "export using
> Compressor" feature is massively inefficient, and
> arguably should be removed from the software
> altogether.
>
> Final Cut's "export using Compressor" feature
> dates back to before the Qmaster service existed,
> back when Compressor was a fairly simple
> application. But now that Compressor is just a
> graphical front-end to Qmaster, and Qmaster is the
> front-end to the compressord processing daemons,
> the "export using Compressor" feature has become
> just incredibly, astonishingly inefficient. What
> was once a convenience for exporting a timeline
> straight to an encoding pipeline is now a feature
> that should be avoided in all circumstances.
>
> Now, your edit system is not very powerful, and by
> dealing with two different forms of MPEG-2 at once
> you're asking it to do a lot. It's difficult to
> make a specific prediction because I don't know
> exactly how your system is configured, but you'll
> probably get better results by rendering and
> exporting to ProRes first, then passing that
> ProRes Quicktime master off to a properly
> configured Compressor cluster for MPEG-2
> encoding.
>
> Setting up an efficient
> long-GOP-to-I-frame-to-long-GOP pipeline is not
> trivial, but people choose to go through the
> effort because it reduces processing times by half
> or more.

So if I improt XDCAM EX with the sony transfer software and drag it into FCP how do I convert it to PRORES?

In my case its already edited with the above workflow the next step would be to pass it to PROREZ and then bring it into Compressor for Apple TV? what resolution does vimeo deal best with?

OK you have 3 choices...

1. Edit native XDCAM select Render to ProRes in the Sequence Settings>Render Control

Then at the end of the edit

Make a copy of the Sequence (as backup)

Then simply change the Sequence Settings>General>Compressor (CODEC) to ProRes before rendering and output.

2. Set up the ProRes Timeline and just use the XDCAM clips on it.

3. Or Convert all the XDCAM clips to ProRes before you start.


Personally I suggest you use option 1 saves space as you only Render to ProRes when you need to and not on simple realtime FX as can be the case with option 2 depending on settings and/or speed of your Mac.

Option 3 will take too much space when it's simply not necessary.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

BING THATS IT!!!!

Good to know thats it but my name is "Ben King" not "Bing"





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

You will always be "loud and fast" to me.



Michael Horton
-------------------

Not on the forums Mike...

...it sounds a bit too Risqué!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

oh right, sorry




Michael Horton
-------------------

I cant explain it but this is what have done and please follow me :

I have redo the editing and only render at the end (one render only).

Export using Compressor with a preset for a DVD 90 min. with 16:9.

5 minutes have only take 40 minutes to transcode from HD to SD and give me the MPEG 2.

So 4 X 40 minutes would have take 160 minutes (2H40M) far les than the 10 hours before.

Toast 10 multiplex-it and burn-it and the result seem much better ......

It is like Compressor was working bad , it seem faster even in the 5 min test but why ...

I will try others suggested workflow when time .... permit it , thank-you all.

PRODUCTION D. GOYETTE
TOURNAGE / MONTAGE VIDÉO CORPORATIF
DISTRIBUTION DVD / BLU-RAY / WEB
[www.productiondgoyette.com]